Part 4

Whan thempresse herde yᵗ the chylde was not dede she wepte bytterly [et] entred in to her preuy chamber / [et] tare her skyn wᵗ her nayles, [et] wᵗ loude voyce cryed and sayd alas yᵗ euer I was borne, [et] yᵗ I soo grete a kynges doughter sholde thus be intreated [et] shamed and therof can haue no remedy. Her gētilwȳmen th_i_s herȳg wēt [et] shewed it to thēperour. [et] he went vnto her [et] co_m_forted her say_in_g O lady wepe not so ne cry not, for it becometh you no thynge / whiche sayd / the loue that I haue [et] owe to you maketh me more to sorowe than the contempte of the dede. for why the inwarde loue of your herte hath hytherto prohybite [et] letted me yᵗ I haue not retorned ayen in to my countree to my fader but I fere yf I sholde so do to you it myght do harme for he is myghty to honoure me wᵗ rychesses, and too venge my quarell [et] despyte in such wyse yᵗ ye [et] youres myght forthynke it. Therto sayd themperour lete that goo out of your mynde, shewe it not / for as long as I lyue I shall neuer fayle you. And she sayd / lorde I praye god that ye maye longe lyue. But I fere me yᵗ it shall hapen vpon you as it dyde of a knyght and of his sone that wolde not burye his faders hede in the chyrcheyerde, a_n_d yet his fader was for hym slayne / . Than sayd themperour Shewe me yᵗ example, how that was that he wolde not burye his faders heede / she sayd I shall do it to your proufyte.

_The Thyrde Example of the Empresse._

There was in the cyte of rome a knyghte yᵗ had two doughters [et] one sone. this knyghte hadde so grete delyte in hauntinge iustynge and turneynge that all thynge that he myght wynne [et] gete he layde it and spente it therupon. In that tyme was an emperour named Octauyan, whiche in rychesse of golde [et] syluer exceded al other kynges and prynces in so moche that he had a toure full of golde, and ordeyned a knyght to haue yᵉ kepynge [et] charge therof. This knyghte that so haunted iustynge [et] other ydell games came to so grete pouerte that he was dysposed to sel his herytage, [et] called to hym his sone and sayd. My sone it behoueth me of your counseyll, for necessyte and pouerte compelleth me to sell myn herytage, or elles for to fynde an other way by the whiche I maye lyue, for yf I sholde sell myn heritage ye [et] your systers sholde perysshe. The sone sayde, fader yf ye can fynde ony other meane without sellynge of the herytage, I sholde be redy to helpe you. To whome yᵉ fader sayd I am bethought vpon a good counseyll. Themperour hath a toure full of golde / by nyght tyme lete vs go thyder with instrumentes and dygge and hewe through the toure, and lete vs take of the golde as moche as shal suffyse us. Therto answered the sone [et] sayd, that coūseyl can not be amended, for it is better of themperoures golde to take to helpe vs than our herytage to sell. They rose vp bothe in a nyght and went to the toure and with instrumentes they made there thrugh an hole, and toke as moche golde as they bothe coude cary away at that tyme. The knyght payed his dettes [et] haunted ayen iustes as he dyde before tyll all was spēte and consumed. In the meane whyle the keper of yᵉ tresoure went in to the toure [et] whan he saw the tresoure stolen, [et] a grete hole made through the wall, he began to waxe sore aferde [et] went to themperour and shewed how it was befallen. To whome themperour sayd all angrely, what nedest yᵘ to shewe that haue I not delyuered to the my tresoure / [et] therfore of the I wyll aske it. Tho anone as the keper herde that went to the toure ayen, [et] set afore the hole a grete vessel ful of pytche medled with other gummes so subtely, that noo man myght come in at that hole but that he must nedes fall into that vessell, [et] yf he therin fyll he coude no more come out of it. Not longe after the knyghte had all the golde consumed and spent [et] went ayen with his sone to the toure to stele more golde. And as the fader went in fyrste, anone he was fallen in yᵉ ves_sel_ with pytche to the necke. [et] whan he saw that he was taken and coude not gete out he sayd to his sone, folow me not, for yf thou doost thou may not escape to be taken. Than yᵉ sone sayd, god defende it yᵗ I sholde not helpe you: for yf ye are founden we are all but dede, [et] yf that ye may not be holpen by me, I shall seke counseyll how that ye may be delyuered [et] holpen. The fader sayd / there is none other counseyll, but with thy swerde smyte of myne heed / and as my body is founde without hede, noo man shall knowe me. [et] so yᵘ and my dought_er_s may escape [et] auoyde th_i_s wordly shame [et] dethe. The sone sayde, Fader ye haue gyuen yᵉ best counseyll, For yf it were so that ony man myght perceyue ony knolege of you, none of vs sholde escape yᵉ deth [et] therfore it is expedient that your hede be smyten of. Anone he drewe out his swerde [et] smote of his faders hede [et] caste it into a pytte. [et] afterwarde hyd it therin and yede and shewed to his systers all the mater, whiche many dayes after pryuely bewayled the dethe of theyr fader. After this yᵉ keper of yᵉ tresour came in to the toure [et] founde a body wᵗout ony hede. whereof he wondred sore, and shewed it to yᵉ emperour. To whome he sayde, byn̄de that body at the tayle of an horse [et] so drawe it by al the stretes of the cyte, [et] dyligently take good hede yf ye here ony crye or wepynge. wheresoo euer ye here that he is lorde of the house, take all them [et] wᵗ the body drawe them to the galowes [et] hange them. The whiche themperours seruauntes fulfylled accordinge to his cōmaūdemēt. And as they came ayenst the house of the dede knyght, [et] as the doughters sawe yᵉ body of theyre dede fader, they made a merueylous grete shryche [et] wept pyteously [et] as ther broder that herd, anone he wounded hymself greuously in the mouthe with a knyfe, so that grete plente of bloode came oute of the wounde. The offycers whan the herde that noyse [et] crye entred in to the house, and demaunded the cause of theyr noyse [et] clamour. Tho answered the sone that I am thus wounded, for whan my systers sawe my bloode so habundauntly go oute as ye see, they began to wepe and crye. And whan the offycers sawe the wounde they byleued his wordes, [et] so dysceyued went theyr wayes, and hynge (_sic_) the body of the knyght vpon the galowes where it hynge long tyme [et] his sone wolde neyther take his body downe frome the galowes, ne yet bury his hede. yᵉ Empresse sayd vnderstande ye what I haue sayd. Themperour sayd ye ryght well.

_The Declaratyon of the Example._

Tho spake thempresse, thus my lorde I fere me it shalbe of you [et] of your sone. This knyght for loue of his sone was made poore. [et] fyrste he commytted thefte [et] brake the toure, secondary dyde hymself too be heded, that his chyldren sholde haue no shame. After yᵉ sone cast his hede in a dyke, [et] buryed it nether in chyrche nor in chyrcheyerde, his body he suffred to hange styll vpon the galowes, yf that he coude not haue taken it downe in the daye he myght wel haue done in yᵉ nyght. In the same maner ye laboure nyght and day that ye maye promote your sone to honoure [et] ryches. But without doubte he dayly laboureth for your confusyon [et] destructyon that he may regne after you in your empyre. Therfore I aduyse you yᵗ ye do hȳ to be hanged before or he you destroye. Themperour sayd ye haue shewed me a good example. The knyghtes sone whan he had smyten of his faders hede wolde not bury it. Without doute my [son] fader (_sic_) shall not do so by me, but he communded (_sic_) anone his offycers that they sholde lede hym to the galowes. [et] they obeyed his cōmaūdement hastely. [et] as they lad hym thrugh the stretes yᵉ people made grete noyse [et] lamentacyon. alas alas the onely sone of the emperour is lad ayen towardes yᵉ galowes / [et] as they thus ladde hym the thyrde mayster named Craton came rydȳg vpon an hors / [et] as yᵉ chylde sawe hym he bowed downe his hede to hym as though he had sayd, haue mynde vpon me. The pepole cryed say_i_ng, O good mayster hast you [et] saue youre dyscyple. He smote his horse wᵗ spores [et] haysted him to yᵉ palays. And whan he came before themperoure he honourably salued hym, whiche sayd, thy comyng hyther shall neuer auayll the / nor it that yᵘ comest for. The mayster sayd, I hoped in my comynge to haue be welcome [et] haue had a better rewarde [et] not too haue be rebuked. The emperour sayd / as ye haue deserued so shal it be to you. To whom he sayd, my lord what haue I deserued. Themperour sayde, ye haue ryghte well deserued deth, for why I delyuered to you my sone well spekynge [et] wel manered for to enfourme and teche, [et] ye haue delyuered hym ayen too me dompe [et] a rybaude. To whom the mayster sayd / in that ye say he is dompe yᵗ I commytte to god / for he maketh the dompe to speke [et] the defe to here. But in that ye saye yᵗ he wolde haue your wyfe enforced that wolde I gladly knowe yf ony creature haue yᵗ seen, for there is no malyce aboue yᵉ malyce of a woman / and that shall I proue by a good example that wȳmen are full of lesȳges [et] decepcōns, [et] yf ye put to deth your sone for the wordes of your wyfe / it shall happen to you as it dyd to a noble man of his wyfe [et] of his pye, the whiche he loued merueylously. To whome themperour sayd, you tell me how that wymmen are full of malyce [et] lesynges / whiche sayd I wyll not do it / but yf ye fyrst calle ayen your sone frome the dethe, [et] then at youre pleasure I shall shewe thexample. Than themperour anone made the chylde too be called ayen and put in pryson. Than the mayster began to say this example in this fourme folowynge.

_The Example of the Thyrde Mayster._

There was in a cyte a ryche burgeys that had a pye the which he loued so moche yᵗ euery day he taught her to speke latyn [et] hebrewe. And whan yᵗ she had lerned perfetly to speke those two langages / all yᵗ she sawe [et] herde, she shewed [et] tolde to her mayster. This good man had a fayre yonge wyfe as ye haue / the whiche he loued moche. but she contrary loued not hym / bycause he myght not furnysshe her of such pleasures [et] lustes as she desyred to haue. And therfore had she an other fayre yonge man that she loued aboue her husbōde. And alwayes as her husbonde was out of the towne about his marchaundyse [et] other besynesses to do, and she sent for her best beloued yᵗ they myght togyder make good chere. The pye as she that sawe tolde it to her mayster, at his home comyng, in such wyse that yᵉ noyse ranne all ouer the cyte of her aduoutry, wherof her husbōde many tyme brauled [et] chydde her. She answered hȳ, ye beleue your cursed pye, whiche as longe as she lyueth shall alwayes make betwix us varyaunce [et] dyscorde. And he sayd the pye can not lye, for that she seeth [et] hereth that she telleth me, and therfore I beleue her more than you. It fortuned that the good man went in to ferre coūtrees to do his marchaūdyse, [et] as sone as was gone his wyfe sent for her frende [et] loue to solace [et] make good chere wᵗ hȳ. but he durst not come by day lyght. but abode to yᵉ euenynge leste that he sholde be seen [et] marked of yᵉ peple. And as yᵉ nyght was comen / he knocked at yᵉ gate: [et] she was redy [et] opened it [et] sayd, Go in frely for n̄o man shall see you. [et] he sayd I fere me yᵗ the cursed pye shall accuse vs, for by her is comen grete sclaundre vpon vs through out all the cyte. Entre in she sayd boldely and fere not. And as he sholde passe through yᵉ halle where the pye was in her cage, she herd hym say thyse wordes. O my moste beloued I fere me gretely of yᵉ pye that she shal bewraye vs. And as the wyfe herde that she sayde, Be styll foole. it is derke she may not se you. Then̄e yᵉ py that herynge sayde, If I se the not I here thy voyce, [et] thou doost wrong to my mayster, for yᵘ slepest with my maystresse, and whan̄e my mayster cometh I shall tell hym. The yonge man herynge that sayd, Tolde I not you yᵗ the pye sholde dyscouer vs. And yᵉ wyfe sayd fere not for this nyght we shall be auenged vpon the pye. And entred in to yᵉ chamber [et] slepte togyder that nyght. About mydnyghte the wyfe arose, [et] called to her a mayden and sayde / fetche me a ladder [et] set vp too yᵉ rofe of yᵉ house yᵗ I may wreke me on the pye. The mayde dyde so and they bothe went vp [et] made an hole through the coueryng of yᵉ house ryght ouer the pye / and there thrugh caste sande clay stones [et] water vpon the pye, somoch that the poore pye was nere dede [et] on the morne the yonge man went erly out at a backe dore. And whan the good man was comen home as his custume was he went [et] vysyted his pye and sayd to her, O pye my welbeloued byrde / say me howe yᵘ haste fared the whiles that I haue been out. She sayd, mayster I shall tel you tydynges that I haue herde. your wyfe as sone as ye were gone by the nyght tyme she lete a man come i_n_ and as I that herde I tolde hym yᵗ I wolde shewe it to you at your comynge home / that not withstondynge she lad hym in to your chamber, [et] slepte with hȳ al nyght. ye demaunded me also howe yᵗ I haue done in your absence. And I saye you of a trouth that I was neuer so nygh my deth as I was that same nyght wᵗ snowe hayle [et] rayne yᵗ fyll vpon my body, so longe durȳge that I was almoste left for dede. The wyfe whā she herde that sayd too her husbonde, Syr ye byleue your pye now may ye here what she sayth / she cōplaynyth yᵗ in yᵉ same nyght there fyll so moche snowe hayle [et] rayne vpon her yᵗ she was almost dede, [et] yet ther was none of thē al that same nyght, for ther was not in a yere a fayrer ne a clerer nyght than it was [et] therfore from hensforth byleue her not. Tho went yᵉ good man to his neyghbours [et] demaūded of them yf yᵗ nyght were ony tempest or rayne. They answered yᵗ some of them had waked all yᵉ nyght, [et] in all yᵗ yere they had not sene a fayrer nyght. Tho we_n_t he to his house [et] sayd to his wyfe, I haue foūden you in yᵉ trouth for yᵉ nyght was fayr [et] clere as I vndersto_n_de of your neyghbours. ye may now knowe of a trouth sayd she yᵗ py is a lyer. wᵗ her lesȳges she hath sowen [et] made discorde betwix vs, [et] ouer that I am diffamed thrugh yᵉ cite by her fals lesy_n_gs. than yᵉ burgeys we_n_t to yᵉ pye [et] sayd wherfore haste yᵘ made lyes [et] fals tales betwix me [et] my wyfe. Is this yᵉ thāke that I haue for yᵉ mete that I was wont to gyue yᵉ wᵗ myn owne hōdes euery day [et] haste also therby my wyfe brought in to grete dyffamacyon thrugh al the towne. The pye answered, god knoweth yᵗ I can not lye for that I sawe [et] herde yᵗ haue I shewed to you. Than sayd he, yᵘ lyest. Haste thou not sayd vnto me that in yᵉ same nyghte was hayle [et] snowe [et] rayne that yᵘ haddest nerehōnde loste thy lyfe whiche is false. And therfore from hensforth yᵘ shalt make no mo lesynges ne dyscorde betwix me and my wyfe / [et] toke yᵉ pye and brake her necke. As the wyfe sawe that she was ryght glad [et] sayd now haue ye done well, now maye we all our lyue dayes lyue in reste [et] peas. And whan he had slayne yᵉ pye, he loked vp [et] sawe in the top of yᵉ house a laddre [et] a vessel wᵗ water, sand [et] stones. and as he that behelde, he perceyued the falshede of his wyfe, and cryed with a loude voyce, Woo be too me that for my wyues wordes I haue my pye slayne and all my solace and ioye loste. yᵉ why (_sic_) the in all thynges sayd to me trouthe. And as he had thus doone anone for sorowe lefte his marchaundyse and all his house and went to wardes the holy londe, and neuer retorned ayen towardes his wyfe. Than̄e the mayster sayd to themperour, Syr haue ye vnderstande what I haue sayd. he answered ryght well. the mayster sayd, was not yᵗ a false [et] cursed wyfe yᵗ so by her lesynges caused yᵉ pye for to be slayne. The emperour sayd, In trouthe she was full of falsenesse. I forthynke gretly the pye, the whiche for her true saynge lost her lyfe. Verely I say to you yᵗ ye haue tolde me a fayr exa_m_ple therfore th[i]s day my sone shal not dy. Tho sayd the master, Syr yf ye do so ye do wysely, [et] I thāke you that ye haue spared your sone, this day for my wyll, and to god I commende you.

_The Fourth Complaynte of the Empresse._

Whan thempresse herde that yᵉ chylde was not yet dede, she made grete noyse [et] cryenges in such wyse that she was herde thrugh the palays [et] sayd, Woo be to me that euer I was made Empresse, wolde god I had dyed whan I was broughte in too thyse partyes. whan the emperour herde yᵉ noyse [et] crye that she made, he entred in to the chamber, [et] conforted her as moche as he myght [et] demaunded the cause of her lamentacyon / whiche sayd, O myn owne lorde haue no wonder though that I be in this grete sorowe and agony for I am your wyfe, [et] in your company by your sone I am shamed as ye sawe me lately all be bled [et] scratched. [et] ye haue promysed me that he sholde therfor be hanged / [et] yet he lyueth. Wherfore sholde I not sorow. Themperour answered be content [et] pleased / and I shall do iustyse vpon my sone to morowe. But in that I forbare hym yesterday was at the meuyng of one of the maysters by an example. Than sayd she, Haue ye forboren to do iustyce for one worde, were it soo for all the worlde ye sholde not let to do iustyce / [et] ye saye for the example of one mayster ye haue lefte it. I fere me it shall happen with you [et] wᵗ youre maysters as vpon a tyme it fortuned too an Emperoure with his seuen wyse maysters. The empeperoure (_sic_) sayde I praye you tell me that example. She sayd.

To what entent sholde I laboure in vayne / for yesterdaye I shewed you a good example and it auayled not. for whatsomeuer I shewe for youre honoure and proufyte that the maysters of your sone torne vp and downe to your destructyon, as in this present example I shall clerely shewe you. To whome themperour sayd O my best beloued lady tell me that example, that by the same I maye the better beware / for though that I respyted my sones lyfe for one daye / I shal not therfore gyue hym his lyfe / for that is dyfferred / it is not therfore auferred. And she saide, gladly I shall shewe it for your proufyte. and began to tell it as here after foloweth.

_The Fourthe Example of the Empresse._